Blizzard, the maker of the enormously popular Warcraft RPG series, today announced it will be bringing out a new iPad game set in the Warcraft universe. And, in following recent trends, Blizzard has made a welcomed decision to make Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft free to play. It’s a strategy card game akin to Magic: The Gathering, one which sports “quick and lively duels that evoke the spirit of a friendly match played beside a crackling tavern fire.” I’ve included more details right past the fold…
Each player in Hearthstone is free to choose his or her hero from one of the nine Warcraft classes and customize the character with a bunch of minions, spells and weapons, based on available cards.
From there, you can practice matches against AI or join Battle.net in order to fight real opponents in friendly duels.
Blizzard explains:
To further develop their decks, players will be able to acquire cards by crafting them and by winning or purchasing new card packs. With hundreds of unique cards to choose from, the potential card combinations and possible strategies are endless.
As for your cards, you can use up to 300 available cards, create your own, buy new ones through in-app purchases and put together your own deck.
According to a FAQ, players don’t need to be familiar with the Warcraft universe or collectible card games because Hearthstone “will teach you everything you need to know as you play it.”
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is available for Windows and Mac first, with a version for the iPad coming later.
The initial beta-test is launching in North America, with other game regions to follow soon after.
You can sign up for the beta here (an account with Battle.net is required).